mHealth

Mobile health devices must be designed to meet specific patient needs to improve user engagement, particularly among those with chronic illnesses, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, FierceMobileHealthcare reports (Mottl, FierceMobileHealthcare, 1/24

Few U.S. residents who download mobile health applications continue using them over time, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research mHealth and uHealth, Medical News Today reports.

Meanwhile, 46% of respondents said they have stopped using a health app because of:

The total shipment volume for wearable devices in the second quarter of 2015 increased by 223.2%, compared with Q2 2014, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation, MobiHealthNews reports.

Technology tools continue to play an important role for patients, particularly those with chronic and life threatening illnesses. Seven in 10 people with a chronic condition went online to find information about it, according to research by the Pew Research Center. And, as the number of medical issues a person has increases, so too does their use of the Internet to gain information about their conditions.

Physicians' use of mobile devices to access electronic health records is expected to rise to 70% by the end of the year, according to a report released Tuesday by Black Book Market Research, Health Data Management reports.

While many older individuals are open to using mobile activity trackers, long-term adoption is hindered by physical discomfort, complicated applications and other issues, according to a study released by AARP,FierceMobileHealthcare reports.

A California resident filed a class-action lawsuit against Fitbit, arguing that the sleep-tracking feature of the company's wearable device is not accurate and that the firm is engaging in false advertising, MobiHealthNews reports.

Several health IT stakeholders say technology will play a key role in CMS' new "Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model," which will expand coverage of telehealth services, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 3/11).

Mobile health technologies can improve adherence to chronic disease management, but mixed evidence of the tools' effectiveness necessitates further research, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research,

The Federal Trade Commission levied fines against the marketers of two mobile health applications over misleading claims that the apps could be used to diagnose and assess the risk of melanoma, the Washington Post's "The Switch" reports.

More than 40 million U.S. residents who have a smartphone actively use a wellness or fitness application on the device, according to a survey by Parks Associates, MobiHealthNews reports (Dolan, MobiHealthNews, 2/3).

The Federal Trade Commission released a report highlighting the public health benefits of devices that can transmit health data to the Internet, as well as the security and privacy risks that could come along with such technologies and undermine U.S.